The Diary of a Queen
by Mysti Queen
Summary: Demi was just a curious young girl living along the palace walls. Running around the town, she bumps into a mysterious boy in a dark cloak. This meeting, though small and seemingly random, will change her life forever. Weaving through a series of chance meetings, a brewing evil power, and a fight that will follow the sands of time. Rewritten. AtemxOC
1. Life's Beginnings - Prologue

_Author's Note: _HIYA!! After a long time of collecting dust, I've decided to come back here and re-edit things a bit. Since I've improved SO much since this humble first fic of mine, I thought it deserved to be re-done. If you're reading this for the first time, I hope you enjoy. If you're reading this again, I hope you take the time to read over it again. There isn't much difference, though, just in the style of the writing.

I love this story very much. It was my first fic here and one of my most popular ones, too. So I hope you like it. Please tell me what you think after you're done reading!

_**The Diary of a Queen**_

Chapter 1: Life's Beginnings

The blazing sun shines on my skin, reflecting its light and heat off of my surface. My eyes stare out toward the crowd of people—my people. I turn to the Pharaoh as the curtains open further. I stare at him intently as he gazes back. His smile relaxes me and once again reminds me that everything will be okay.

My story is a long and weary one, perhaps unbelievable as well. To fully understand me, it's necessary to start from basics.

My roots extend far back and far away from this land of sun and desert. My grandmother was originally from Greece, giving me a hint of Grecian ethnicity buried deep in the Egyptian. When she was barely eighteen, she was forced to marry against her will. That man wasn't everything he seemed to be when Grandma's parents met him. In fact, he was despicable, abusing Grandma and threatening to kill her if she ever tried to leave.

She was afraid of him and I don't blame her. She was trapped and her parents didn't seem to care much about her. The only person she knew she could count on was herself. With that in mind, she grabbed what she could and took off. She jumped on the first boat she could and left that miserable life behind. She never heard from her family or her evil husband ever again. Though they had hurt her for what seemed her entire life, she missed them dearly and still left an apology wafting in the breeze.

Grandma traveled for years not even sure of where she was going. Still, she promised herself that where ever the ship would lead her to, she'd start life anew and live it the best way that she could. Finally, she found herself in Egypt. It took her time to adjust, with the language and culture barrier against her. Fortunately for her, though, she met my grandfather. He taught her many things and brought her countless blessings. They didn't have much, but they loved each other and did everything they could.

My father used to tell me all the time how I'd grow up to be her exact image. It makes me happy to know that she lives somewhere inside of my soul. With my uncanny resemblance to her, naturally, my father gave me her name.

My name is Demitria but I am commonly referred to as Demi by family and close friends. I've always preferred my nickname ever since I was a child and still do.

As far as family goes, my parents are long gone now. My father moved on to the after life sooner than would've liked. I was only three years old, yet I always feel that he guides my path and protects me and he's always around. My mother has been around for quite some time, but she passed on a few years ago, before my third child was born. She's a very important person to me. She always was and will always be.

I am the youngest of five children, each of us born at least three years a part. My oldest brother's name was Ali. He was big and strong but still very playful. After Ali came Samira, the wise and beautiful older sister with great advice and a helping hand. Then there was Kilah, the quiet one. She didn't talk too much but always had the most incredible singing voice of the family. Ironic, isn't it?

Last but not least, there was Sapphire. She got on my last nerve and sometimes made me want to pull my hair out or drown myself in the Nile. The only thing I thought she was good for was bringing my wits to their ends or, more important, serving as a victim of all those practical jokes Ali taught me. Yes, she was the perfect host: gullible, imprudent, and over all, just one of those people who were silently asking for it. With all this said, I still love her very much. A sister is a sister, family is family, and there's nothing any of us can do about that.

Then, of course, there was I. The last of the bunch, with my grandmother's signature ebony dark hair and Mother's caramel brown eyes. I learned how to farm, though I never really caught on like most of the family. I learned thousands of games and saw thousands of things. When the Pharaoh and his young son would make their rounds on their mighty chariots, I would stare up at them and wonder what kind of life they must've lived.

Would a life of riches be better than the life I had been living? Barely getting along, having to work hard and grow up quicker after the day my father died…I wondered that for a long time. Now, I see that the events of my life are threads that weave into something greater down the line. Whether I perceive it as beautiful or not is up to me. Up to now, though I've faced many hardships and shed seas worth of tears, everything leads up to this. When everything is said and done, I understand that I'm happy with my life and I wouldn't have had it any other way.


	2. Cloaked Boy

_Author's Note: _Hello! So it's been nearly 10 years since I wrote this fanfic. Now DoQ is back and ready to be revamped...well slightly xD The story is more or less the same but with just a few new characters and some new events. Hopefully this will cover some annoying plot holes. Furthermore, I've improved a lot since I first wrote my first ever humble full length fanfic. I'm sure most of my old readers must've moved on by now. But any reviews/commentary on how it's going so far will be appreciated!

Thank you for taking time to read this ;w; I hope you enjoy!

_Chapter 2: Cloaked Boy_

The volatile relationship between my sister Nenet and I, to this day, I can consider both a curse and a blessing. Being born only a year or so apart, there was a sense of competition between the two of us. While I am the younger of us both, I do feel like I was given slightly more attention than she was. At the same time, I felt like there were many things she could do better than I.

For instance, she was much better at picking crops and making dinner than I was. I couldn't describe how much my blood would boil whenever my mother would commend her on a job well done for her meals, while putting on a forced smile to remind me that I did the best I could. Those were backhanded compliments, if anything and I could see right through them.

Nenet and I seemed to have a normal relationship as children, being best friends as sisters should be. Of course, innocent sibling rivalry was present. When we grew into our teen years that innocent rivalry only heated up, more on her part, I can honestly say.

"He doesn't want to be with me," she would holler. "I'm sure he's been eyeing you from the very start!"

It was always the same thing every time a possible suitor would break off ties with her. She'd point a finger at me many times for being the cause of it, even when her reasoning would be complete nonsense. Honestly, the main reason anyone would avoid her was her loud mouth and imprudent attitude. I wouldn't blame any man for wanting to stick a spear into his skull after just five minutes with her. Furthermore, as much as I cruelly enjoyed playing tricks on her, I would never get in the way of any of her relationships. Marriage and love are such sacred things.

It continued this way for a while until at one point, I couldn't take it anymore. Once again, another suitor turned his back on her and she blamed me.

I can't quite remember what she said exactly. Maybe it wasn't anything besides her usual nagging, or maybe I'd just possibly reached a breaking point. I can't even remember what I shouted back, but I know it was worse than anything she'd ever said to me. All I know is that I just wanted to just run off so I wouldn't hear her running her mouth again.

"I'm sick of all this and I'm sick of you!" I shouted in pure anger. My feet stomped against the floor as it echoed in our small stone house. I wasted no time in filling a worn knapsack with a few items I might need.

Before I knew it, I stormed out of the house while my mother and my other siblings had their backs turned. Nenet, of course, didn't care one bit if I'd left forever.

I wasn't allowed to go out alone at all under normal circumstances. The world outside of our four walls was a dangerous place that no girl or woman should wander alone.

I didn't find it in me to care at all even as I undid the latch on the outside gate. I swear I might have heard Nenet calling out to me or maybe it was my mother. Whoever it was, I didn't even give them another glance. I continued forward and shut the gate behind me with a loud slam.

'What am I getting myself into?' I thought as I wandered further away from my small and run down home. 'Maybe I should just turn back…'

I paused for a moment, the only time I'd looked back at all since I left. The house was much smaller now in the distance, partially hidden behind some other houses. I had never been out of the house on my own at this point. What's a girl at 14 years to do, being the prey to the many dangers out there?

I paid no mind to my inner voice as it kept commanding me to return. Once I caught sight of Ali leaving the house in a hurry, I figured it'd be best to run off and not turn back again.

**...**

'Maybe this wasn't a good idea…' I thought to myself as I'd found my way to the now bustling market. I hadn't been around so many people like this. The many stories that I'd heard from my brothers and cousins about girls who'd wander alone in public on their own replayed in my mind, buzzing around me like a swarm of angry wasps. Any girl foolish enough to disregard her parent's warnings would disappear without a trace, never to be seen again, presumably killed or sold into slavery.

What a horrible fate! But no, maybe I'm thinking too much. Yes, that must be it.

The sound of vendors shouting and people talking and fresh bread baking filled my senses. Somehow, even with my nervousness, I was finding this actually quite exciting, when I really thought about it. Maybe being alone wasn't so bad after all. A little freedom can't possibly hurt, can it?

My eyes wandered from merchant to merchant all around with many people bustling around me. Vendor carts were filled with delicious looking fruit and food, and kinds of trinkets and clothing, anything I could ever want.

I caught sight of a sparkling purple stone on a vendor's cart a short distance away. Although hesitant at first, I carefully made my way through the crowd and approached it. I found myself staring at its glossy surface, almost in a trance, when my memories replayed in my mind.

Many years ago, my father had taken me out to the market place for my seventh birthday. If there's anything I can remember from my younger days, I'd have to say this was one of them. The sights that met my eyes, not different from today, were so amazing to me. I hadn't seen so many people at once before. So many different things I'd never seen before. It was my first time in the market ever and I was thrilled beyond words. My father held on tightly to my hand, though at times I wanted to wander off and explore.

"I know you're excited, but I can't let you become separated from me," he explained when he noticed my pout.

We approached a cart where he bought something. I didn't know what it was, as I was too distracted by the gems and shining metals that seemed to be winking at me as they reflected the sun. After father took me back home, we stopped before entering the house and greeting my siblings.

"I have a surprise for you," he said as he turned to me. "Hold out your hands and close your eyes. No peeking."

"Really?" I bopped up and down in my placed, completely excited. "Okay!" I close my eyes, tempted to open them, and held out my small hands.

I felt something cool touch them in the center and I flinched slightly at the sensation on my warm hands. When I opened my eyes and brought my hands closer to my face, I was overcome with some much joy.

"A necklace!" I announced happily. "It's beautiful! Mama always said she'd get me one but when I'm older." My pout returned. "She says I would lose it. But I'm going to keep this necklace safe, Papa!"

Papa chuckled as he patted my head. "You're still very young, but I trust that you'll take good care of it, Demi."

To this day, I still keep that necklace as one of my most prized possessions. I owed it to my father to keep my promise of holding it close to me forever. Those memories were sweet, especially when I remember how it wasn't too long after then that my father passed away.

"Miss, would you like to buy anything?" The vendor at this cart broke me out of my daze.

I quickly shook my head. "…No, I'm just looking. Thank you."

Slowly turning on my heel, and unsure of what to do now, I turned around and continued on my way. The trace of warm tears building within stung in my eyes and I quickly blinked them away. I couldn't believe I was still emotional even after all this time had passed. Then again, the passing of someone so dear to you isn't something you can get over, no matter how much time passes.

It wasn't a good thing to cry in public either. Not at all. Papa didn't like to see my tears either, so no matter what, I tried not to shed them very much.

Having your eyes glued to the ground instead of watching where you're going is another thing you shouldn't do. Too bad I paid no mind to that for a few moments until I bumped shoulders hard with a complete stranger. I was almost thrown back from the force of it, not to mention the contact alone almost killed me with a heart attack. The stranger seemed to be walking pretty fast. Any faster and he might have been running.

"I'm so sorry!" I began apologizing once I pulled myself together. I was about to continue on with my apologizes, until I looked up and noticed how daunting he looked with that dark hood over his head. At that moment, with just my luck, I realized I walked into an area of the town that wasn't any where near as busy as the market. In fact, it was just me and this guy here. Alone.

Perhaps I was overreacting as my body slowly broke out into a cold sweat and I immediately panicked.

'All those stories must be true!' I thought. Why would someone walk around like this unless he had a hidden agenda or something? This is exactly how thugs look! Walking around with their faces and heads covered, despite such hot weather, and whatnot.

The paranoia that had been wafting over me like a storm cloud since I set foot outside the house rained down on me. With all this in mind, I didn't hesitate to take a deep breath and scream as loud as I could.

Or rather, it was a half scream, or more of a whimper. Before I'd realized it, this stranger had grabbed on to me tightly and placed his hand over my mouth. I fidgeted in his arms wildly, grumbling tirelessly, flailing around like a crazy person or a fish out of water.

"Don't worry, I will not hurt you!" I heard him whisper loudly, in between the sound of my pulse throbbing in my ears. "Please, just do not draw any attention to me!"

I stopped fidgeting around for the simple fact that I wasted enough energy in moving around so much. My body became slightly limp in his arms. He was much too strong for me to fight off, regardless.

"You can trust me, do not be afraid," he said again. "I don't want anyone to know I am here…I will let you go if you promise not to alert anyone."

I had no choice but to nod my head weakly as best I could within his grasp. He slowly let go and I coughed and gagged a little as I pushed myself off of him. I turned around to look at him.

"What's your problem?" I angrily demanded. "You can't go around grabbing people without it looking suspicious!"

He bowed his head as if in shame or apology. I don't know.

"…what are you, a thief? What do you want from me?"

He shook his cloaked head. "No! I'm not thief! I'd never do anything like that."

I crossed my arms. "Good…because I don't have anything to offer anyway." There was an awkward silence between us before I spoke up again. "What's with the cloak? Did you runaway from your house as well?

He hesitated before speaking. "I suppose…" He shyly peered up at me from his hood. I could barely make out what his eyes looked like from under there, but they didn't seem like the eyes of a thug from what I could tell. Looks could be deceiving though and I hadn't been out on my own enough to what is what.

"…So, why'd you runaway?" I tentatively asked. Curiosity was getting the best of me.

"…I didn't run away. I simply need some time to think on my own. I will return when the sun goes down."

I uncrossed my arms and placed my hands on my hips. With a deep sigh, I turned around and tossed a glance his way. "I see. Well, it was nice seeing you. I better continue on…"

**...**

I continued wandering through town for another hour or so, now realizing I hadn't thought this whole 'run away' thing thoroughly. I would surely have to go back at some point in time, maybe even some time sooner than I would like. How else could I get food and shelter? I had no money on me at all. There wasn't any way for me to survive.

"STOP THERE!" A thunderous voice poured out of seemingly no where and caused me to freeze in my spot.

"What did I do?" I cried, my voice barely escaping me. With a gasp, I quickly turned around to see what was going on, when I noticed the cloaked boy running towards me. He didn't pay any mind to me as he raced past, nearly knocking me over, and a small group of what looked like soldiers chasing after him.

'Uh oh!' I thought as I placed a hand over my mouth. 'He _is_ a thug!'

My first thought was to run and hide before he could find me again. Rather, my first thought was to return home but I quickly ignored that feeling. I wasn't quite prepared to return just yet. Going on my first idea, I rushed out of there and down towards another part of town.

'That was so close,' I thought as I sat on the ground of a small, secluded alley. 'To think he could've hurt me back there…I don't want to imagine what would've happened if there weren't any people around. Maybe I should go back home…'

I was contemplating that one notion, arguing with myself internally like an insane person as I shut my eyes and scratched my head. I didn't notice the dark figure that sat beside me until I lifted my head once again to take a deep breath. I took in a lot of air only to have it get stuck on its way out of my body when I turned my head.

I momentarily read his lips. He was about to say something but I don't know what. In any case, that trapped air materialized as another attempt at a scream. He was pretty fast to grab on to me once more and cover my mouth with both hands.

What a jerk! Now I was going to get it!

"I know this must look awfully suspicious, but please believe me!" he explained in a winded whisper. "I don't want to go back! They want to take me back!"

I stopped fidgeting around once more and looked up him again. Honestly, those eyes, despite being almost completely hidden by the hood of his dark cloak, really did not remind me of a thug at all. Maybe I was stupid. Maybe he was just an incredible liar. But I was and always will be gullible idiot, so I suppose it was in my nature to believe him.

"I apologize for doing this," he uttered as he let me go. "I'll return home, but not now."

"Then you better stop doing that…" I placed my hand on my chest as I caught my breath and leaned back against the building behind me to rest. "It seems you're just like me, though, huh? Can't stand your family sometimes either?"

"I suppose," he replied with a nervous chuckle. "Although it is not so much my family as it is my life…"

"Eh?"

"…I apologize. I cannot explain it. In any case, I do not think you would believe me anyway."

"Hmm…I guess…" I shrugged. "So, what exactly did you do for those guys to come after you? You say you're not a thug…"

"I'm not a thug at all," He became slightly more uncomfortable and took a deep breath. "I was simply being reprimanded for trespassing on Palace grounds…"

My eyes became large, my face light up a little. "…You've been to the palace?"

"Yes, quite a few times…" he replied with a grumble.

"…and without permission?" I stood up and smiled enthusiastically. "That's wonderful! How fun! Although, I don't think it's fun to get in serious trouble for something like that…I get my kicks through small acts of mischief, not real law breaking."

"I was not breaking any laws!" he protested and stood up as well. It was only then I realized how short he was for a boy. Not much taller than me at all.

"Well, since neither of us are doing anything maybe I can show you how I work," I winked up at him.

He seemed taken aback. "What do mean?"

Without another word, I rolled my hair around into a long, dark, funnel then ripped out a ball of black hair. Turning to him, I held it out proudly.

"What's that?" he asked, seeming rather disturbed.

"Hairball!" I gleamed.

"…Oh…what are you going to do with it?"

"The spider trick!" I declared, merrily.

The cloaked boy looked at me with a glance of disbelief and uncertainty. "Would anyone truly believe that to be a spider?"

I shrugged. "Well, if anyone else is as dim as my sister…then why not?" I peered over the side of the building to the bustling crowd a short distance away. I immediately noticed a girl about my age, standing with a scared look on her face. Today must've been her first day alone in the market place, as well. She wasn't doing as well as I was, to be honest. It seemed any little thing could send her running off. I felt a little bad about what I was planning, but she seemed like the perfect target.

"It would be a horrible thing to scare someone as frail looking as her…" I said hesitantly."…But it must be done!"

The wind blew by and I tossed my ball of hair onto the ground, where the cloaked boy and I watched as it rolled over aimlessly. Luckily for me, it reached her foot, rustling up against her toes in her sandals. The girl was busy looking the other way until she felt something funny. A look of confusion crossed her face, and she looked down to see a dark and ominous looking black ball of something.

"SPIDER!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. With a glass shattering yelp and terrified look on her face, she darted away from the hairball, crashing into a produce stand, sending all the fruits airborne. The soft peaches and plums bombarded a vendor who was selling jewelry in a cart nearby. A woman, ready to buy the crystallized egg on the stand, quickly snatched it when she noticed his distraction and attempted to run away. As she did, she slipped on the oranges that had also collapsed on to the ground and landed flat on her bottom. The crystallized egg flew up in the air and came back down on to the unforgiving ground, smashing into a thousand pieces. The crowd became hostile with horrible words and even a few fists. In short, a total chaotic mess.

The boy looked at me in absolute shock as we leaned back away from the side of the building and back into the alley. I didn't expect it to go that far, but needless to say, I was proud.

"Am I good or what?" I smirked at him, suppressing my laughter.

"Where did you learn that?"

"From my brother." I explained and dusted off my hands. "He made me the prankster I am today."

"I have to say, I am impressed…" the boy said with a smile. "You're quite incredible."

I giggled and shyly scratched the back of my head. "Thank you… but I'm not entirely bad. I only do this when I'm particularly bored." We both simultaneously burst into laughter at the sounds of the frenzied market place.

The boy and I sat in that same spot talking about our favorite things to do although I think I was talking the most. He didn't really want to say too much. Maybe he was shy. I somehow found it to be very endearing. Most guys I'd met in my short life were jerks.

I can't recall how much time went by but about halfway through our conversation, I could've sworn I heard someone call out my name. Their voice became louder and louder still and I stood up immediately when I realized it sounded awfully close.

"Ugh oh, that's my brother," I said out loud in a panic when it dawned on me. "I have to go. It was nice meeting you, Cloaked Boy."

He stood up and nodded at me without another word as I raced out of the alleyway. I think he wanted to say something else. He took a breath as I ran out. I think maybe he wanted to say 'goodbye' to me, but I ran off before giving him the chance.

The voice calling out to me was indeed my brother. Not only him, either. All of my sisters, minus Nenet.

When I returned home, I was severely punished. I can't recall ever having gotten such a horrible punishment as that day. Mama had never seemed so upset about anything. I paid no mind to Nenet, although from the looks of it, she received a punishment as well for causing me to run off.

In any case, within an hour or so, the fire of screams died down enough. I was sent to my dungy old room and ordered to stay there until I was given permission to come out. That didn't bother me much though as I knew now the worst of the punishment was over.

Even so, I don't regret having wandered off at all. Even at that moment, still fresh with tears from having argued with my mother and facing such a painful beating, I didn't regret it at all. In fact, all I wanted to do was get away and wander off again.

As I sat alone in my room that night and looked out towards the palace in the distance from my small window, I wondered what Cloaked Boy was up to.


	3. Friend

___Author's Note: _Thank you all for taking time to read this! And lookie! Another update! :D This chapter is completely new to the series. There are chapters that I've rewritten, some that were eliminated completely, and others that were written brand new. I was unsure about this chapter when I first wrote it, but now I'm certain it at least makes enough sense. I hope it's to your liking (: Enjoy!

_Chapter 3: Friend_

Mama was pretty upset with me for a few weeks after that incident. I'd given her quite the scare and she told me she'd kill me herself if I ever ran off like that again. Needless to say, I never planned on running away again. Exploring the market and the land behind her back, however, was another thing.

Any dreams of exploring the world and anything beyond the palace walls like Cloaked Boy dissolved suddenly when I realized my predicament. My brother and sisters kept a close eye on me following my runaway incident. I was tied down against my will to continue my boring life helping my mother and sisters harvest crops to sell, as usual. I wasn't even very good at doing this to begin with. Living this programmed life was a torture of it's own to me, but what other choice did I have?

As I carefully tossed our crops into the shipping bin, I looked up into the sky and wiped a trail of sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand. I couldn't help but wonder at times what Cloaked Boy was doing and if he resolved his problems with his family. Something told me perhaps not. Perhaps he was still running around town doing nothing. Maybe he didn't have family.

I pitied him for not having anywhere to go and anyone to talk to. We'd only spent a short while together, but even so, he seemed genuinely nice. Certainly, he seemed a little strange to me, with his proper and articulate way of speaking, but he wasn't bad at all. I don't believe anyone should be alone in the world like he was.

Curiosity was getting the best of me yet again. I stared off into the distance often, wanting so badly to go out back into town and perhaps bring him some food or even just give him my company. In any case, I wasn't allowed to go out unsupervised for some time.

So long, in fact, that I'd almost begun forgetting about Cloaked Boy.

It wasn't until I was around 16 when my mother began letting me go to the market on my own, whenever she needed something, of course. Most of my brothers and sisters had since grown and gotten married or were just tired of running errands for her already. I was old enough already to at least know my way around the market and buy things on my own without getting scammed.

As usual, I went to the market one day to purchase some goods for the house as my mother had commanded me. I'd completed my purchase and began making my way back from where I came, as normal.

My eyes drifted down to my sandaled feet as I let out a sigh, once again allowing my mind to wander. Without warning, a stranger came by and bumped into me hard. The sudden contact startled me and the force nearly caused me to drop the things I'd just purchased. It took me a few seconds to compose myself but not a second afterwards did I twirl around angrily.

"Excuse me! You should watch where you're going!" I snapped. I was ready to continue going on about their terrible manners, but my tongue just stuck to the roof of my mouth. I almost had to do a double take at the person who'd bumped into me. It was almost as if I'd seen a ghost. Funny. Another boy in a dark cloak. Only, he wasn't looking much like a boy now. He was rather tall now, passing over me by a few good centimeters.

Unlike back a few years ago, when the cloak almost perfectly concealed his face, now I could get a view of his eyes. They were a deep purple, darkened by the shadow of the hood over his head.

He stared back at me silently for a moment. The silence was heavy and that moment seemed to last longer than I could imagine. I broke off the staring contest by turning my head and moving forward as if nothing happened.

"Wait," he called to me and I stopped in my tracks. "I apologize for running into you, but I seem to remember you."

I turned around swiftly, tossing my dark hair about messily. "…Cloaked…boy?"

He chuckled lightly at the name. "Yes…"

"I can't believe you still remember me…it's been at least a year or more." Although to be honest, I hadn't changed quite as much as he did within that time. His voice was much deeper and powerful now. I grinned at him with a look of pity. "I can't believe you're still wandering around."

He chuckled nervously. "I never forgot about you. You're the first person I spoke to outside the palace walls…"

I looked at him with confused eyes. "Huh? Outside the palace…?"

He gasped and shook his head, becoming slightly flustered. "Nothing! Really…"

"So, you're still sneaking around there, huh?" I shook my head with a playful look on my face. "That's not good. You can get into really big trouble for that…"

"I'm aware of that," he responded. "You needn't worry about me."

"I see," I replied. I smiled at him and waved my hand. "Well, I should go. I guess I'll probably see you around then."

"Certainly," he replied and waved as I departed but called to me again. "Wait!"

I turned around to face him. "Yes?"

"Your name?"

"Hmm?"

"You don't have to tell me-"

"Call me Demi," I responded, interrupting him. A small grin tugged at my lips. "I'll just call you Cloaked Boy, all right? You're still refusing to give me your name, aren't you?"

He chuckled nervously at me. "Unfortunately…" He waved again as I continued on my way.

…

"Ah, it's so hot! Don't you get hot wearing that cloak?" I asked as I carried a bag of food in my hands. Cloaked Boy walked along side me through the town. Being such a gentleman, he offered to help me carry some of my things, as he often did.

Even as months passed by, Cloaked Boy was a common sight for me every two weeks without fail as I headed down to the market to run errands for my mother. It wasn't rare at all for him to help me carry my things at least up until we were clear of the market place. I didn't want Mama, or anyone else in the family for that matter, to see him following me. I wouldn't doubt it if they'd believe him to be a thug like I had at first.

"I'm fine," he grumbled, although I could see a few drops of sweat trickling down to his chin.

"So you've still gotta conceal your identity, huh?" I asked with a half-concerned smile. "It's pretty exciting, I think."

Cloaked Boy chuckled at my words. "You really have no idea. I dislike having to run all the time. But there's nothing more interesting than being on the outside."

I was about to ask him what he meant by that but I noticed his discomfort at so much heat. Instead I grabbed him by the hand, ignoring his surprised grunt, and dragged him off into the shade of a nearby vendor's tent. We both plopped down onto the sandy ground and I pulled out my small jug of water and shoved it into his face. Forcing him to drink like a baby, it's a surprise I didn't cause him to choke. Traces of water dribbled down from the corner of his lips and down to his chin.

"…what was that for?" he asked in surprise as he wiped his mouth.

"Do you want to succumb to the heat?" I asked and opened my bag, which contained plums and peaches. "You were turning red and I was starting to get worried."

His redness didn't seem to be dying down. I think my words might've had something to do with that.

"We haven't had such a good harvest this time around," I continued, changing the subject. "It hasn't rained in ages, as you would know. Although that's not normally a problem, there seems something wrong with the soil. I really don't know. I'm not good at any of this crop stuff."

"…yes, but is everything all right?" he asked sounding concerned.

I nodded up at him with a smile. "Yeah. I mean, we've barely got enough money to afford food, but we're hanging in there." I pulled out two peaches and offered him one. "Here. It's a gift for helping me, despite the fact that you seem to be dying from this heat."

Cloaked Boy shook his head politely. "I don't think I shou-!"

The look of surprise on his face as I forced the peach into his mouth was priceless. I couldn't contain my laughter and I proceeded to eat my peach. "If a lady offers you something, it's good manners to accept it."

Cloaked Boy grabbed the peach in his mouth and began eating it. "…you're really something, you know." He sounded more amused than anything.

I glanced at him as I bit into my peach. "What do you mean?"

Cloaked Boy shook his head as he visibly attempted to suppress his grin. "Nothing. But I'm feeling better now."

"That's really good to know," I replied and stood up. "It's starting to get late. I think I should head back home before Mama comes out to find me."

Cloaked Boy got up onto his feet as well and grabbed my other bags. "I'll walk with you."

…

As much as I wanted to know more about Cloaked Boy, at least his name, I didn't want to push the issue of demanding to know everything from him. At least not yet. We had already known each other for a few months but it seemed I couldn't get anywhere with him, as far as his story was concerned.

But still, I considered him a friend. I enjoyed his company and I can say with certainty that he enjoyed mine. Why else would he wait for me in the same place every time I was to head down to the market?

Our friendship itself was rather unexpected and out of the blue, but it was really nice. Our conversations were very light, mainly focusing on our interests and our events of the day. I was afraid to ask him about his family or any subject that seemed too personal. For all I knew, he could've had a tragic past and I was not interesting in knowing it or causing him any additional pain.

As time went by, I came to care for him, enough to not feel bothered that I didn't know his real name. 'Cloaked Boy' seemed good enough to him for the moment. He was pretty strange, really. All that I knew of him was that he enjoyed trespassing on palace grounds. My sense adventure tugging at me, I asked him if he could take me with him some time.

"Of course not!" he shot my hopes down immediately. "You could get into serious trouble. It would only end badly."

"I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask…" I mumbled as I scratched the back of my head. Now that I was 17, Mama didn't seem to pay much attention to me going out on my own, so long as I wasn't wandering too far. This gave me more time to spend with Cloaked Boy, whenever I wasn't helping with the crops, of course.

"It seems you live a sheltered life as much as I have," Cloaked Boy said as he walked me home that afternoon. We stopped just a few huts away from my own home, where he turned to me. "…I can't help but feel a bit of pity for you."

"I'm not pitiful," I grumbled. Cloaked Boy chuckled at me.

"…are you busy tomorrow?" he asked, hesitating before doing so.

I looked at him intriguingly. "Not really. Why do you ask?"

"Then come meet me at our usual spot about an hour after dawn," he explained. "I've got a surprise for you."

My face brightened up like that of a child. "A surprise! Oh, what is it?!"

"You'll see," he chuckled and waved at me as he began to head off. "I'll see you then, Demi."

I watched as he walked away and disappeared in the distance. My heart pounded with excitement, wondering what the surprise could possibly be. With this in mind, I hurried off into my home.

…

If I had to pinpoint one thing that initially attracted me to Cloaked Boy, I have to say it was the air of mystery that always followed him. Sometimes I felt as if Cloaked Boy was the resident of another world. Sometimes, it was as if Cloaked Boy _was_ another world himself. The more I learned about him, as small as those tidbits of information would be, I found myself longing to know even more.

As I stood behind that one tent just outside the marketplace, waiting for him, my fingers fiddled with each other nervous with anticipation. The thought of getting to learn more about him was enough to make me excited but this sudden 'surprise' simply had me on edge.

I wasn't sure if I was starting to go crazy as I suddenly heard the dull sound of hooves on dirt coming from behind me. "…Horse?" I wondered aloud as I recognized the sound. There weren't many horses around these parts. There were but a select few that mainly vendors would use to transport goods. Ali himself would use a mule, like most people, to deliver our crops to town.

I turned around just in time to find myself almost face to face with a large, powerful looking steed and its wide glistening eyes. It was a lovely pure white in color and with a deep brown mane. Slowly lifting up as they studied the horse, my eyes nearly bulged from my head when I noticed who was sitting on top of it. "C-cloaked Boy?"

"Hello," he said smoothly with a wave of his hand. "We should hurry if you want to have enough time to survey the area…"

"…me?" I pointed a finger at myself.

"Yes," he confirmed and offered me his hand.

"I've never mounted a horse before," I said apprehensively as I took a hold of his hand. Regardless to my previous statement, he pulled me up onto the horse with a grip stronger than I thought he would have. I settled myself behind him and blushed as I grabbed onto his waist and our bodies touched. I'd never been this close to him before and I felt myself blushing unexpectedly.

"Well now you have," he replied with a grin. "Hold on tight."

"Go easy," I mumbled. I gasped when I felt the horse moving fast and wrapped my arms around Cloaked Boy's waist, burying my face into his cloaked back. Surprisingly, he smelled very pleasantly, very strong yet sweet. I never came across anyone smelling so nicely before. Perfume was quite expensive for most of us common citizens.

Cloaked Boy simply laughed to himself as I continued holding on to him, letting him take me wherever he wanted to go. I guess I just came to trust him that much.

…

When I found the courage in me to pull my face off of his back, I noticed we were leaving town behind. The large royal palace and the walls that surrounded the town disappeared gradually into the distance.

"Um…where are we going?" I asked timidly.

"Somewhere special," he replied. "Don't worry. We'll be back soon."

I chuckled, growing slightly nervous now. "You're not kidnapping me now, are you?"

Cloaked Boy let out a hearty laugh at such an absurd question. "Don't be silly." He looked back at me, his strong yet gentle gaze locking on with mine. "Do you distrust me that much?"

Honestly, I didn't quite know how to respond to that. There was something about his eyes, those unique, deep violet eyes that convinced me without fail each and every time. Just like on the first day we had met.

I smiled back at him. "…I don't know how or why, but I trust you." I noticed a few stray strands of blond hair in his face and, for whatever reason, it gave me hope. It was another new glimpse of him that I was getting. He didn't seem to notice or mind it, though.

Instead, he returned the smile at me and turned his head to look forward again. My heart throbbed for a reason I couldn't understand back then but I brushed off the feeling and rested my head on his back. We rode around on the horse for another half hour or so. At some point, Cloaked Boy abruptly stopped the horse and grumbled loudly, effectively startling me.

Confused, I looked to him uneasily. "What's wrong? Why did you stop?"

Before he could respond to me, I noticed a large group of cloaked men on horses ahead of us. There must've been about eight of them and they were heading directly towards us.

"Thieves?!" I murmured nervously. My face fell as I began to panic on the inside, still trying to maintain my outward composure. The men on their horses hastily surrounded us even as Cloaked Boy made an attempt to flee.

"What do we have here?" The leader of the gang sneered as he dismounted his horse. "I think we've found something interesting."

"What do they want?" I whispered to Cloaked Boy, grasping his waist tighter.

"Don't worry…" he whispered back.

The leader of the gang pulled out a rather large sword and it glistened in the blistering reflection of the burning hot sun. My eyes remained glued onto that sword the entire time. "Hand over the girl now."

Whimpering, I buried my face into Cloaked Boy's back and my hands grasped onto his cloak tightly. 'Just great!' I thought to myself.

"No," Cloaked Boy responded firmly, much to my surprise.

The leader, although taken aback momentarily, cackled confidently. "What did you say? I gave you an order. I wasn't asking for permission."

"And I said 'no.'" Cloaked Boy repeated, louder and firmly. Was he crazy?

"Well, you asked for it," the leader smirked and grabbed a rock from his pocket, hurling it at the horse and striking it on one of its front legs. In response, the horse neighed loudly in pain and knocked both Cloaked Boy and me right off. I didn't even know what was happening until I felt myself hit the ground with a loud thud and a muffled grunt.

"Demi!" I heard Cloaked Boy shout, his voice drenched in worry.

My eyes opened and I looked up to see the leader, with his creepy and disheveled smile, ignoring Cloaked Boy and grabbing onto my arm roughly and hauling me to my feet. I couldn't fight back as I caught sight of the sword in his other hand. This was going to end badly. I wasn't even doing anything wrong to deserve this! How could this happen? I shut my eyes tightly as we approached his horse. I was trapped without an escape.

I was saying my goodbyes to this world when a sudden bright light appeared out of seemingly no where. The leader of the band of thieves stopped immediately and looked up towards the direction of the light. I opened my eyes as well, nearly blinded by it all. I couldn't see Cloaked Boy anymore but I felt the thieves' grip slipping from my wrist. Taking advantage of his momentary distraction, I managed to pull myself out of his grasp and stumble off and away.

"Cloaked Boy!" I shouted, unsure of what was happening and unable to see him. It took me a moment to realize the light had been coming from Cloaked Boy himself. The light began fading and I noticed the glowing had come from somewhere under his cloak as well as a glowing spot on his forehead.

"Run, Demi," he commanded me.

"Huh…?" I muttered. As much as I longed to be away from these thieves, I couldn't find it in me to even consider leaving Cloaked Boy alone. "And you? What are you going to do?!"

"Don't worry about me," he said calmly. "I can take care of them."

I didn't know what else to say but I ran off to hide behind the horse. "I'm not leaving without you…are you crazy?" Cloaked Boy sighed and he began to glow brighter, effectively blinding me. "Cloaked Boy!" I cried.

-BOOM!-

The sound of a loud blast echoed in my ears, followed by the sound of horses crying out in panic. As frightened as I was, I was completely petrified and my feet were stuck to the very spot I stood on. 'What in the world is going on?' I thought with my eyes shut tightly. I only wanted this to be over already.

I didn't hear what Cloaked Boy said next but all I remember is being enveloped in the bright light although I don't know where it came from. I can't even say what happened next as I don't have the slightest clue. The next thing I remember when the light faded was that I found myself curled up loosely in a ball on the ground. My eyes stung a little as I tried to open them. For a brief moment, in my blurry vision, I swear I saw the back of Cloaked Boy's head, uncloaked.

By the time my vision became clear again, he'd pulled his hood over his head, much to my disappointment. He seemed to be glowing still but the light was fading and I could see the men on their horses running off in a hurry and not even looking back. I wondered what he could've possibly done to scare them off like that, all eight of them, no less.

After a few moments of standing there in a seeming daze, Cloaked Boy turned around and saw me and a look of relief came over his face. He quickly hurried over to me and kneeled down to offer his assistance. "Demi! Are you all right?"

I nodded my head and promptly sat up, utterly puzzled. "Cloaked Boy…what just happened? What was that? What did you do to them…?"

Cloaked Boy shook his head, casting his gaze downwards. "…It's not important." He stood up and offered me his hands. "Can you stand?"

I grabbed onto him and was able to get up on my shaky feet. "Yes…I'm fine. What happened back there?"

Cloaked Boy averted my gaze uneasily. "I…I'm not sure myself…"

I wrapped my arms around myself as I still tried to calm my nerves. I didn't believe Cloaked Boy when he said that, but knowing him even as little as I did at this point, I knew pushing the question would lead me no where. Instead, I let out a disappointed sigh. "Too bad…"

Cloaked Boy turned to me again and I could feel his eyes almost prying me open. I was about to ask him what was wrong, but he surprised me when he unexpectedly lunged at me and wrapped his arms around me. A muffled grunt was the only sound I could make as I felt him hold me tightly against his body. I could feel that he was more muscular than I would've thought. The cloak hid everything from my gaze, after all. I couldn't help but feel how much my heart was pounding in my chest to the point where it almost felt as if I couldn't breathe.

"Please accept my apologizes. I didn't mean to put you in danger. You must've been so scared," he said gently.

I shook my head as I fidgeted in his arms a little. "Don't worry about it. We're both all right and that's all that matters."

Cloaked Boy pulled away from me and smiled somewhat awkwardly. "This ended badly…I'll take you back now."

"What? No!" I refused loudly, to which he gave me a look of shock. "We're all right now. I want to see that place you wanted to show me."

"A-are you sure? Is it still all right?"

"Of course!" I confirmed and smiled up at him. "That's the surprise you want to show me, isn't it? I really want to see it. Please show it to me."

Before long, Cloaked Boy and I were on the horse once again as if nothing had happened. "I'll protect you if anything like that happens again…you can trust me…" he said as we rode off.

Cloaked Boy did manage to save me. How he did that, however, I really don't know. Even so, as always, I put my faith in his words and in him. I smiled down at myself happily and clenched on to him a little tighter. "For some reason…I find it easy to believe in you, Cloaked Boy."

…

Cloaked Boy and I rode on the horse for about another twenty minutes when we came upon our destination. The sight of green trees in this barren wasteland of a desert was surprising enough. At first, I thought I was only seeing a mirage.

Needless to say, I was floored when I laid my eyes on the land located in between all these trees. It was a small oasis located in what seemed to be the heart of the desert itself, filled with more trees, a few patches of grass, and even a small pond in the center. This place had a sense of secrecy to it, as if hidden away from the prying eyes of rest of the world.

Cloaked Boy dismounted the horse before offering me his hand and helping me get off.

"Wow…" I said as steadied myself and looked around. "I've never seen a place like this before. I didn't even know any place like this existed here at all."

Cloaked Boy chuckled at my reaction and took a seat on the sand near pond. I followed suit and took a seat right beside him.

"…how did you discover this place?"

"I usually ride my horse around when I'm feeling particularly sad," he responded, hesitating a bit before doing so. "I discovered this place not long after my mother passed away…I would come here almost every day to clear my thoughts. Even to this day, I still feel a sense of peace whenever I come here. It's much needed considering my hectic life…"

He trailed off and didn't continue further. I didn't know what he meant by 'hectic life,' but once again, getting a small glimpse into his life filled me with joy. I felt sorry about him having lost his mother but I decided against asking him how it'd happened. I didn't want to hurt him by bringing up those memories.

With a deep breath, my shoulders fell calmly. "…are you sad now, Cloaked Boy?"

Cloaked Boy turned to look at me and shook his head with a smile. "Not at all. At least, now I have you to talk to."

I wasn't sure how to respond to that. All I could do was giggle lowly like a child and turn my head to hide my blush. "…I'm glad…" I yawned lazily as I stretched my arm over my head. "I'm feeling happy myself. I finally feel…as if I'm getting to know you better…" Cloaked Boy averted his gaze from mine. "I don't know what your story is exactly or where you come from. But I feel like someday soon, you'll be able to trust me enough to open up to me."

Cloaked Boy nodded in agreement. "I'm certain of that, as well."

"…you know, I really don't have many friends, so I enjoy being around you."

"I'm the same," Cloaked Boy replied. "Thank you…for trusting me, Demi."

I looked over at him and smiled warmly. "Of course. We're friends, right? Friends are supposed to trust each other."

We shared a smile and looked up at the sky and the sun was beginning to set. The stars shone brightly, brighter than I'd ever noticed before.

**...**

Cloaked Boy and I must've been sitting there in our hidden oasis for about an hour. We didn't really do much other than talk, as we often did. Night was calling, however, and we both had our lives to get back to. Cloaked Boy and I mounted the horse once and again and began heading towards town. I was almost disappointed that our time had grown so short.

"Here we are," he announced as we came near my house. I felt myself drifting off to sleep against his back as we rode all the way back to town. I stirred when I felt him moving and Cloaked Boy once again dismounted the horse before helping me down.

"Hey, thanks a lot for taking me out," I said with a smile when my feet touched the ground. "It was…quite an interesting adventure. Let's do this again some time."

Cloaked Boy grinned back at me. "I don't know when that'll be, but we'll ride off again some time for sure."

We shared a silent smile for what seemed like an eternity. I felt content like this: just gazing at him this way and seeing my reflection in his eyes. Somehow, I was able to break out of my daze. "It's getting late so I better head off."

"Yes, I should, too," he replied. "I'll see you soon, Demi."

With a shy wave, Cloaked By jumped upon his horse and rode off. I unhurriedly walked myself into my home where my mother was sound asleep. I thanked the Gods for that. Mama wouldn't have been happy at knowing I'd come home so late.

I laid myself onto my cot and stared up at the ceiling, trying to digest today's events as best I could. I wondered what kind of guy Cloaked Boy was, with him glowing and being able to scare off those thieves despite being outnumbered.

In any case, I spent more time thinking about Cloaked Boy, more than I had on previous occasions. I looked forward to seeing him again and I would in two weeks when I would head down to town again to run my errands.

Even after Cloaked Boy and I had grown closer, I never told Mama or any of my sisters about him or our incident in the desert. Surely, she wouldn't approve of me talking to a stranger who didn't even give me his name or show his face.

That didn't matter to me, for I was certain that someday he'd be able to tell me. Someday, he would remove that cloak and show me his face and tell me all the stories of his life that I wanted to hear. I was sure of it.


	4. Bonded

_Author's Note: _Thanks very much to everyone who's taking time to read this fic over. And to those are just starting it x3 I hope you're liking it so far! Things are gonna start changing after this chapter (: I hope you like it!

_Chapter 4: Bonded_

On a peaceful and comfortable day, I found myself sprawled out on the ground in the oasis with Cloaked Boy by my side. We'd spent the morning looking around the market to buy some snacks and then we took off on his horse towards the oasis. Luckily for us, we never ran into thieves like that again on our many journeys to the oasis.

"…So Nenet ended up running right into that door!" I said in between laughs, trying not to choke on the peach I was currently eating. I enjoyed sharing stories of Nenet's many embarrassing moments. Although I knew very little of Cloaked Boy's family, I didn't mind at all sharing stories of mine.

"Even with everything you've told me about her," Cloaked Boy said after his laughter died down. "…I still think you are very fortunate to have a sibling."

I looked over at him. "…you don't have any?"

He shook his head and looked at me. "No…unfortunately I do not. But I have two friends of mine, close friends, whom I consider to be like my brother and sister."

I smiled warmly at him, both at his words and at the fact that he shared a little bit more about his life. "That's really beautiful. You don't need the same blood to bind two souls together."

"You are correct," he agreed and took a deep breath, stretching his cloaked arms over his head.

I sat up in my place and stretched myself. "Oh, we ate everything," I chuckled and looked down at him. "…although I think I might have eaten a little more than you, even though you're the one who paid for everything."

"I wasn't very hungry," he explained. "I know haven't been eating very much as of late, either, so you should eat up while you can."

I turned my face away from him to hide a growing smile and red cheeks. He was actually showing concern for me and it was making me feel slightly shy. "Thank you," I said and looked down at him. "You don't need to worry about me, though. The crops seem to growing well again."

I stood up and dusted myself off before walking over to the edge of the pond. My eyes stared down at my reflection in the somewhat cloudy water. "It's getting pretty hot, isn't it?"

Cloaked Boy's eyes looked up towards the sky as he sat up, squinting when the sunlight stung at them. "Yes. It appears the sun is up in the center of the sky."

I kneeled down by the pond and began filling my cupped hands with water and soaking my dark hair. My head just felt so hot and the water was cool and relieving.

"Back home, water becomes scarce around time of year," I explained as I lowered my head into the water. "The river is quite far from where we are and all we have is a small well that all the villagers must share." I sighed and flipped my soaked hair back, tossing droplets of water around. "It's nice to be able to enjoy this without worrying about the water running out."

I shut my eyes as I flipped my hair a few more times and finally turned to face Cloaked Boy. "Don't you think so? You live nearby after all, don't you…?"

I immediately noticed his flustered face staring at me. His cheeks were slightly red and I don't think he even realized I was staring back at him as he was gawking at me. "What's wrong?" I asked. "You're red again like last time. Is the heat getting to you?"

He finally snapped out of his daze and shook his head, looking away nervously. "…N-no…I'm fine…although…it is a little hot…"

I grinned at him mischievously. "Maybe some water will cool you down…" I said as I cupped some water in my hand and tossed it towards him.

"AH!" he grumbled as he attempted to scurry backwards on the ground. The cold water caught him square in the leg, unfortunately for me. I was hoping it would land on his face but he moved too fast.

"Hey, that wasn't nice," he said with annoyance. I chuckled at his reaction and stuck out my tongue. Lifting the bottom of my long skirt, I shook off my sandals and stepped into the water.

"It feels so wonderful, though," I replied and looked back at him. "Why don't you join me?"

Cloaked Boy shook his head and stood up. "I don't think…that's a good idea…"

I pouted at him with my hands on my hips. "What's wrong? Don't want to get your cloak wet? Or show me what you look like?"

"…well…" Cloaked Boy seemed like he was mentally arguing with himself. The look was strewn in his eyes. Almost hesitantly, he walked over to the edge of the pond and lifted the bottom of his cloak slightly, exposing his fancy looking sandals and what appeared to be gold bangles on his ankles.

I didn't say anything about that, however, as it seemed he was trying to open up to me a little more. Simply, I assumed he was perhaps member of a rich family, which would explain why he had such a fancy looking horse in his possession.

"It's cold…" he shivered, snapping me from my thoughts.

I gleamed at him and trudged over from the other side of the water. "But hey, you're actually doing it!"

"I suppose I would have to come in eventually. It would be a shame if you were to drown…"

I glared at him playfully. "It's only like 3 feet of water! I can't swim but I'm not going to be crazy enough to dive in, either."

"Well, just to be sure," he smirked. Cupping water in his hand, he placed it over my head and let it go. I flinched as cold water trickled down my face, soaking through my already damp hair, and dripping onto my dry top.

"Oh, so is that how you're going to treat me?" I grumbled and splashed him with water.

Stifling a chuckle, Cloaked Boy managed to run off through the water before I could soak him completely. I immediately took off after him without even caring that I'd released the bottom of my skirt and it was completely soaked now.

"You can't escape me!" I called out, splashing aimlessly in a hope to catch him. Cloaked Boy was much too fast for me. I found it a miracle how he didn't even trip on his long cloak.

Our laughter was loud and wild like that of two small children. Alone in this little piece of paradise, we felt free enough to act this way without holding back. Hearing the sound of Cloaked Boy's laughter and to see him smile, although partially hidden behind that cloak, filled me with happiness.

At last, we collapsed onto dry land, totally exhausted. Exchanging a glance, I playfully grabbed onto his shoulder and shoved him. "You're a lot faster than you look!" I complimented him.

"You aren't so bad yourself," he laughed. "It's been some time since I've had the opportunity to run wildly like this. Thank you, Demi."

I smiled at him and nodded. "You really don't get out much, huh? Although, I'm the same as you in that area." I scooted myself closer to him without a second thought. I was amused at seeing how his face became red at having me sit so close. Grinning at him, I took a deep breath. "You don't mind if I sit here, do you?"

"Uh of course not," he sputtered and cleared his throat.

"Good, because running after you really took a lot of energy from me. I'm just going to rest up a bit." Shyly, I lowered my head to rest on his wet shoulder and smiled. He flinched instantly at my touch but didn't say anything. He didn't tell me to get off or anything like that. In fact, I think he might have welcomed it as he rested his own head against my own.

We were both much too shy to say anything else. But even the silence between us was perfectly all right.

…

When we returned to town again, the sun was still setting and the sky was a mixture of pale orange and pink. Cloaked Boy and I had dried off almost completely by that time, but we still remained slightly damp. I almost didn't want to let go of him when we finally reached my house. Once again, cloaked Boy stopped short of being directly in front of my home.

With a deep sigh, I carefully dismounted off the horse and looked back up at Cloaked Boy. "Thank you for taking me out again," I said with a smile. "I hope we can do this again some time soon. Next time I'll be sure to bring spare clothes."

Cloaked Boy chuckled and nodded. "That would be a good idea. And thank you for joining me, Demi. I had a great time."

We shared a glance for a moment: violet eyes locked together with my brown ones. I'd never seen eyes like those before: soft and yet so deep. My heart pattered against my chest as the seconds went by slowly. I don't know how I was able to snap myself out of that trance.

"Well, I better go…" I waved suddenly and began making my way towards the house.

"Take care," he called out to me and rode his horse away.

I watched as Cloaked Boy disappeared from view and I turned to knock on the door to my house. Unbeknownst to me, a storm was brewing indoors, just waiting for me.

Once my mother had answered the door, I was immediately greeted by the unhappy scowl she wore on her face at seeing me. I found it quite strange but I said nothing about it. Sheepishly, I smiled at her and walked inside, thinking nothing of it.

Mama slammed the door shut loudly and locked it quickly. I even felt her steps and she followed me right away into my room.

"Where have you been running off to?" she demanded.

"No where," I replied casually as I removed the scarf on my head. "I've only been walking around town. Why do you ask? Is there something wrong?"

"Answer my questions!" Mama commanded sternly and crossed her arms. "And with whom have you been running off with?"

My pulse stopped for a moment. Had she seen me with him today? I knew this would lead to nothing but trouble. For that reason alone, and because I knew well how my mother was, I never mentioned Cloaked Boy to her. In fact, no one else, not even my sisters, knew of Cloaked Boy's existence. They simply wouldn't understand.

"With no one…" I lied as tried my hardest to avoid eye contact.

"Oh, is that so?" I could tell by her tone that she didn't buy it. Still, I insisted.

"Yes, it is."

Mama huffed angrily, teething with a clear fury. "Are you going to continue lying to me? The neighbors have been telling me otherwise, Demi…"

My body suddenly broke into a cold sweat. In my concern for keeping my Cloaked Boy secret from my family, I didn't even think about what the neighbors would think in seeing me with him. I had completely forgotten about that fact to begin with. The area I lived in was rather small and many of the neighbors here spoke with each other on a friendly basis. I felt like such a fool for forgetting just how rapidly word spread and how people would start gossiping at anything.

In fact, a few weeks ago, a lady had been caught committing adultery in this very area. Word spread like a raging fire and eventually reached this entire village. Enraged neighbors rushed out to corner her one day and she was almost stoned to death in public. Even the Pharaoh became involved after hearing of all the commotion and sent guards to drag her off into the palace, where they would deal with the situation accordingly.

"…well?" she demanded, her tone louder. I was snapped out of my thoughts and shook my head.

"What are they talking about?"

"Why don't you tell me? Apparently you've been all over town with a cloaked thug!"

I flinched at her words but I bit my tongue before speaking. I guess there wasn't anything for me to hide anymore. "He's not a thug," I responded and looked at her. "I thought so when I first met him, but he's not a bad person at all. He even helps me carry my things sometimes."

"Then why have you been hiding from me?" she asked. "Why didn't you tell me about him? I had to hear about you two from the neighbors…"

"Well, he's a bit of a strange guy…"

"How so? And if you know him so well then what's his name and where did he come from?"

I flinched yet again, casting my eyes towards the ground. I couldn't even tell her that much. She seemed to believe that my words of him being a good person, but surely she wouldn't even believe that I didn't know his name or anything.

I didn't know what else to do but remain silent. Mama seemed to only grow more suspicious and came closer to me, almost breaking personal boundary. "Look at me! What is his name if you know him so well? Why can't you answer? What has he been dragging you into?"

"Nothing!" I hollered in frustration. Mama was stunned at my tone and she raised a hand to slap me. It didn't hurt much, as usual. I think I had grown accustomed to getting slapped by her. I had a habit for running my mouth and back talking. This simply didn't affect me anymore. I sighed lowly as I felt my cheek stinging slightly.

"Listen to me!" she scolded me hotly. "You will not see that thug again, do you understand? I will not allow you to follow anyone like that. It's for your own good!"

I bit my bottom lip as I swallowed at the anger growing inside me. "You can't tell me who can and can't see. I'm a practically a grown woman now. I may not know his name or even his whole face, but he's not what you think he is. I refuse to stop seeing him!"

"I'm not giving you the choice," she yelled as she grappled onto my shoulders but I stiffened in her grasp. Mama wasn't anywhere near as strong enough to shake me. She was getting much too old for that now. "Now you'll do as I say or you will pack your bags and find somewhere else to live!"

My jaw dropped and I looked at her in disbelief. Great, now she was willing to run me out of the house as she did with my brother and sisters. They seemed to have made it by just fine, though. At the moment, however, I really had no where else to go. So I remained silent and hesitantly nodded my head.

"Good!" she grumbled and released me harshly. I didn't bother to hold myself up as I fell back onto my cot like a rag doll. "And don't you even think about leaving the house without my permission." Without another word, Mama stormed out of my room.

Taking a deep breath, my shoulders fell and I collapsed onto my cot. This would certainly complicate things with Cloaked Boy. Our friendship didn't need anymore complications.

**...**

My mother was completely serious about what she had said, as I knew she would be. She didn't even send me to run errands to the market that following day when we starting running out of supplies. Instead, she locked me in the house and would only let me out to help with picking the crops. As the days went by and my usual arranged meeting with Cloaked Boy was drawing near, I began to panic. I didn't want Cloaked Boy to show up at the market only to notice that I wasn't going to be there.

What if Mama really could succeed in splitting us apart? I couldn't bear the thought! There wasn't any way in hell I was going to allow that.

The gods must've been on my side that day, however. My mother had come back home from picking crops and collapsed straight into her cot. She fell into a deep nap, during which, you'd have a better chance of stargazing at noon than to wake her up.

I was contemplating my next move; not sure of whether or not I had what it took to move forward. I hadn't left the house without permission since my first run in with Cloaked Boy almost three years ago.

The desire in me to see Cloaked Boy proved to be more powerful than I thought. I carefully and quietly hurried over to the front door and unlatched it. Even the clinking of the metal latch seemed to echo loudly in my ears. I knew I had to make haste as my mother could possibly awaken at any moment and I did not want to witness that type of fury. Once I shut the door behind me, I ran as fast as I possibly could towards the market and towards the spot where Cloaked Boy would be waiting for me.

Gratefully, I found Cloaked Boy standing there faithfully. I didn't stop running until I was right in front of him and completely winded from my run. I didn't look up at him much as I placed my hands on my knees and huffed, but I noticed a look of worry on his face.

"Demi? What's wrong? Did something happy?" he asked, his smile becoming a concerned frown.

I simply held up my finger. I had to wait until my pulse slowed at least a little and the world stopped spinning so much. When I finally caught my breath, I answered.

"…Yes, actually, something pretty serious. My mother found out about us…"

Cloaked Boy looked at me with a confused look. "She did? How?"

"The ever nosy neighbors, of course," I huffed with exasperation. "I don't understand why people can't mind their own business. Anyway, it's going to be a problem. I can't spend the day with you today, Cloaked Boy."

He looked disappointed. "Why not?"

"Mama forbids it…" I sighed. "I'm not even supposed to be out here at all right now. She's sleeping right now so I thought now would be the chance to tell you. I'm sorry, Cloaked Boy…I wish it didn't have to be like this…"

Cloaked Boy smiled down at me knowingly. "I understand, Demi. But I don't want you to get into any trouble. You should head back now while you have the chance."

I nodded sadly. "Yes…but I don't want to stop seeing you, Cloaked Boy…what should we do?"

Cloaked Boy stared down at me with red cheeks. I felt myself blushing slightly as well. That statement of mine sounded a little funny.

"…I don't know, to be honest. I want to keep seeing you as well, Demi."

We stood there silently before I came up with a plan. "Hey, I know. It's a little risky, but what if you and I start meeting up at night instead of in the day?"

"Secretly? You want to sneak out more to see me?" Cloaked Boy seemed a little surprise at my idea.

Blushing, I nodded my head and I could only hope that I wasn't sounding desperate. "…yes…is that all right with you?"

Cloaked Boy seemed to contemplate it for a moment. He shared a tender smile with me and that alone removed any worries of mine. "Of course…I want to keep seeing you, but I don't want you to get into any more trouble, Demi. Are you certain I am worth the risk?"

I stared up at him and my gaze lowered to the ground. I thought about it carefully for a second. It was a valid question and one that I felt I should answer to myself as well.

Why would I be willing to risk so much just to see this stranger? I could risk my very reputation, my freedom, and throw away who knows what else. I thought about it cautiously but it simply, somehow, made sense to me. I didn't want to follow anyone's orders. I wanted to live freely by doing what I wanted to do. I didn't want to answer to anyone.

At least, that's what I told myself.

I couldn't bring myself to accept the whole truth just yet. "Yes…please, Cloaked Boy. Meet me later tonight after the sky turns dark and the moon is in the east."

Cloaked Boy thought about it for a while. "If it makes you happy, then I agree. I'll see you later tonight."

I grinned wholeheartedly as I exhaled with relief. I was afraid at first that Cloaked Boy would instead run off and not care about me. Having this agreement between us and knowing that I could keep seeing Cloaked Boy made me happier than I could've imagined.

"I'll see you tonight," I wave as I began backing away. "I better go before my mother wakes up."

"Yes, we'll meet tonight," Cloaked Boy called out to me again, smiling sweetly. I turned my back on him and ran off to the house again.

I nervously reentered my house and hurried into my room. I heard mother as she was beginning to stir in her room. Still feeling slightly guilty, I hastily tucked myself into my cot and pretended to be napping.

I felt her presence as Mama entered my room to find me 'sleeping.' Thankfully, pretending to be asleep is quite easy if one isn't panicking. I heard Mama's footsteps and she walked towards the other end of our small house.

"Phew…" I released a low breath. I turned to look out my window and smiled with the hope of seeing Cloaked Boy again. There wasn't anything in this world that would keep me away from him. I would make sure of it myself.


	5. Cloaked Love

_Author's Note: _Sorry for the delay! I hope you enjoy this next chapter (: It's a little short but I think it's better to have an effective short chapter than a long chapter that just goes on and on. Anyway, I hope you like it :D

_Chapter 5: Cloaked Love_

I waited that following night for my mother to fall asleep before making my move. Grabbing onto the oil lamp on my table, I exited my room and carefully undid the lock to the door. The quiet sound of metal clanking together had me on edge. I was afraid that any little noise would awaken my mother and she'd send me scurrying back into my room with a swing of her sandal.

Fortunately, my mother always was a heavy sleeper. The world around her could be falling apart and in complete chaos, but she'll easily sleep through it all. Thanking the gods for this, as well as asking for forgiveness, I walked out the door and carefully shut it behind me.

Perfectly on time, I found Cloaked Boy standing out there waiting for me. To be honest, I was almost startled out of my skin when I noticed how daunting he looked in the darkness with his dark cloak.

"Are you sure you want to do this…?" he whispered to me as we began walking towards town. "I don't want you to get into anymore trouble."

"I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't want to, Cloaked Boy," I said softly. "It doesn't matter to me what my mother might do to me. I'd take any punishment over not getting to see you again…" My voice trailed off and I looked up at him. He looked down at me, and although I couldn't see his face in the darkness of the night, I could feel his gaze pinning me. I almost forgot what I was saying as my nerves began tingling in my stomach.

"…I want to keep seeing you as well, Demi," he replied. "But I don't want any harm to come to you because of me. That wouldn't make me happy at all."

"You worry too much," I chuckled away at my nervousness. "Really, Cloaked Boy, I won't be in danger of anything at all. I've been punished before and it's really nothing."

Cloaked Boy didn't say anything to that. He seemed to drift off into his own thoughts. I wondered what he could be thinking about but I didn't bother asking him. Even to this point, he still wasn't as open with me as I would've liked. Instead, we just walked together through the now sleeping town quietly and side by side. It didn't feel like we needed anything else at that moment, not even words. Wordlessly, without worries, we were just happy to be together.

"It's getting late…" he said after we'd made a few laps around the town. "…maybe you should head back…"

I looked up at him with surprise. It really wasn't like him to shoo me away so soon after we'd met up, especially considering how I'd risked my very skin to come see him. The moon was only slightly higher in the sky than it was when I'd left my house. I shook my head and politely refused.

"It isn't so late. Only a few moments more, all right…" I really didn't want to be away from him. Just the thought of being away from him even for a day made me miss him already. "…do you want to get rid of me that quickly?"

Cloaked Boy gasped lowly and looked down at me. "Not at all! That's not what I meant. I would spend the whole night with you if it were possible…" He caught himself at the end of that sentence and shook his head, becoming visibly flustered. "…I mean…" He sputtered endlessly trying to come up with another excuse.

I looked up at him and had to cover my mouth to keep my laughter down. "…well, that's good to know."

Cloaked Boy stopped stuttered and simply stopped speaking, grumbling as if scolding himself.

"Why don't we watch the stars somewhere instead?" I offered. "There's the roof of a building nearby that I always used to climb onto when I was young to watch the stars. We could do it at my place as well, but that would be too risky."

"It sounds like a plan," he responded, sounding relieved. "Lead the way."

…

"Isn't this much better?" I asked as Cloaked Boy and I lay side by side on the roof. "We're perfectly hidden up here and the view of the stars is much better."

"You are correct," Cloaked Boy responded with a deep sigh.

Cloaked Boy was surprisingly quiet that night. Although the silence between us wasn't heavy at all, I felt a sense of uneasiness on his part. It was as if he were uncertain of something or troubled. I wanted so much to know, if only to be able to perhaps help him, but I knew he probably wouldn't tell me anything even if I asked.

"Cloaked Boy?" I softly spoke, breaking the silence. I had a few questions on my mind that I'd been meaning to ask him but my shyness wouldn't allow me to even consider asking them. At this point, however, I just had to find out at last.

"…yes?"

"…what do you see in our friendship?"

Cloaked Boy seemed slightly surprised. "…what do you mean?"

"…what do I mean to you? We've known each other for a while now but sometimes…I'm unsure…" I swallowed at my nervousness. I could see from the corner of my eye that he'd turned his head to look at me. That simple fact caused my heart to throb so wildly that I didn't know how to keep myself calm.

Cloaked Boy sighed after a moment of thinking. "I value our friendship dearly, Demi. I care about you deeply. Tell me, what makes you unsure? Certainly, while I'm unable to show you who I really am…the fact that you've been able to trust me all this time shows me the kind of person you are. The truth is…I'm very happy that we were able to meet…"

Although I honestly wanted to hear more, those words alone made me feel at ease. Even my shoulders dropped slightly as if somewhat relieved. I couldn't help but chuckled happily and smile as I looked at him. "I'm glad…I'm glad you ran into me…"

Cloaked Boy chuckled and nodded. "I'm glad you stopped to scold me about it…" The silence between us now seemed slightly more comfortable, but I still felt uneasy. "…what do you think of the Royal Family…?" he suddenly asked, hesitantly.

"The Royal Family?" I repeated, unsure about why he would ask that. "…well, I don't really think about them too much, to be honest…The Pharaoh seems like a really nice person, though. I'm too young to remember, but it was because of him that there hasn't been a famine since before I was born. I don't know anything about anyone else in the royal family, though." I looked at him inquisitively. "Why do you ask?"

"…just curious…" he replied, still seeming anxious. "…Just promise me, you'll stand by me no matter what happens. Things might get difficult…everything is starting to get complicated, but trust me. I will always make sure that we can see each other…"

His words were distressing to me. I didn't know exactly what was going on but I knew from his words that something was going on in his life, something bigger than what was happening in mine. A punishment from Mama wasn't anything new to me and therefore the thought of it never really affected me. But suddenly I felt fear; the fear of somehow being separated from Cloaked Boy by something that I couldn't control. At the very least, that's what it was starting to sound like to me.

"…are you saying goodbye to me?" I asked tentatively as I sat up, feeling my nervousness only growing.

Cloaked Boy sat up as well and looked at me. "Of course not!" He dismissed. I wasn't convinced. "But in this world, there will always be people from your life and mine that will try to keep us apart. I assure you that I'll do everything I can to always find a way to you."

For some reason, it seemed like he was trying to calm his own nerves rather than soothe mine. My eyes remained on his form as I fell deep into my thoughts. The light of the moon, high above us yet so close, played along the contours of his face. My heart was shaking more than before and I sighed in an attempt to calm the throbbing.

"…That alone gives me a reason to keep waiting for you, Cloaked Boy," I finally said with a smile. I disliked seeing him unhappy. Even if I was powerless to do anything else, the best I could do was soothe his worries. "I don't know what's going on in your life, but I'll still be here. I promise."

Cloaked Boy smiled warmly at me and I felt my heart fluttering again but with happiness, not fret. "I will not worry about anything else. Thank you, Demi." Looking up at the sky, he released a deep breath. "It's getting late now. I think it'll be best for me to head back."

My shoulders fell in disappointment. Thankfully, he didn't notice it. "All right. I guess I don't have a choice but to return home. Watching stars alone isn't fun."

With that, Cloaked Boy and I began making our way down the building by way of the sturdy boxes stacked along side it. Cloaked Boy insisted on getting down first in order to help me come down afterwards, like a real gentleman.

I was certainly glad that he did so, as I was coming down on of the last boxes to the ground when I lost my footing. My heart skipped when I felt my body going down and I had to bite my lip to keep myself from screaming. The last thing we needed was unwanted attention and I'm sure my scream would wake up everyone in all of Egypt.

But instead of feeling the sting of pain on the cold, hard ground, I felt strong hands grapple onto my arms. Powerful arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me close into their safety. The force of having grabbed onto me caused Cloaked Boy to stumble backwards. His back hit the side of the building with a thud and a grunt escaped his lips.

I must've had my eyes closed the whole time as I don't even remember how we landed in that position. When I finally opened my eyes, I found myself staring at my shaky hands as they grasped tightly onto his cloaked chest. Time seemed to have frozen at that moment.

My gaze gradually traveled up to stare at his face, studying it closely, following the curve of his jaw line, stopping only to focus on his soft and smooth looking lips. I could feel hot sweat build up in my body. My heart only throbbed faster and almost painfully as our eyes locked on to each other, his darkened violet eyes glossed over as he stared down at me, making my body flush even in the darkness of the night.

My blood boiled and my legs trembled against him. How I longed to keep gazing into his eyes, forever if possible!

I was vaguely aware of our faces moving in closer together as if being pulled by a slow but steady force. I thought my heart might just burst then and there! It was such a wonderful, beautiful feeling that I'd never experienced…but as beautiful as it was, it was also somehow frightening.

Our lips softly brushed against each other in such a way that sent tingles running up and down my spine. My hands tightened against his chest as I shut my eyes and made my move to press my lips against his.

Suddenly Cloaked Boy startled me with a grunt and, much to my disappointment, turned his head away. I could only watch helplessly as he gently but swiftly pried himself away from me.

"…I apologize…" he muttered, avoiding eye contact as his voice trembling. He quickly turned his back on me.

I simply stood there, as if in a trance, and wonder what just happened. Dear gods, why did he have to stop? I had felt him moving towards me only to have him suddenly rip away from my grasp.

Snapping out of my trance, I gasped and uselessly reached a hand out towards him. "…Cloaked Boy…" I murmured.

"…I have to go," he said promptly. He didn't even bother giving me a chance to speak or ask what was wrong. "I'm sorry, Demi. Please forgive me."

Without another word, he hurried off and away back to where he came from, leaving me in the night so dazed and confused. My hand continued to weakly reach out for him as he disappeared behind the buildings.

"…Cloaked Boy…" I cried faintly, seriously fighting the urge to burst into tears. What was wrong with me? Did I do something wrong to upset him?

I didn't have any other choice but to head back to my house with my feet dragging. Fortunately, Mama was still fast asleep on her side of the house. Once I stepped into my bedroom, I threw myself onto my cot and buried my face into the thin blankets.

As much as I tried, I couldn't get over the sensation of his lips over mine. It was as if a fire had brushed over my lips and left them tingling even now. My fingers traced my lips as groaned in frustration.

I didn't know what was going on. The only thing I knew was how much I longed to see him again, so much that it hurt, but I didn't know how to handle all these feelings at once. Feelings of happiness mixed with sadness, disillusion, and ambiguity were such a volatile blend. I'd never felt anything like this before, never so confused. I wasn't even sure what I was crying for. Plain and simple, I felt like a fool.

…

There were feelings inside me that even I was not aware of. I hadn't faced my feelings for Cloaked Boy head on until that night. Through my tears and confusion, I was forced to comprehend that I longed to be with this mysterious stranger that just waltz right into my life out of the blue.

It was absurd. It was absurd having developed feelings for someone who I couldn't even call by name, even after having known him for well over a year. It seemed nothing was progressing: I was stuck in the same spot with him. The only thing that had progressed were my feelings.

I didn't know how I was going to face Cloaked Boy after that incident. There were many questions I wanted him to answer for me now. Many more than I'd had for him when we first met.

Sadly, I started to believe Cloaked Boy didn't want anything to do with me after that. Despite what he'd told me that night on the roof, I hadn't seen him in a few nights since then. It was as if he'd just disappeared into the darkness never to return. I had to wonder whether or not he was shunning me on purpose.

It seemed to me that his history was starting to unravel and he didn't want to reveal it to me. I don't know why or what purpose it could serve for him to hide his truth for so long. The more I thought of this, the angrier I became at the thought of him.

Cloaked Boy must've been playing me for a fool. Not only was he some stranger with a possible hidden agenda, he was a liar on top of that as well. I had put so much belief in him. I had trusted in him so blindly. I had fallen into the trap of his violet eyes when ever he gazed at me. I felt like the biggest fool to walk this earth and I hated myself for it.

Mama, as usual, didn't pay any mind to the fact that I was becoming shut in. She never found out about how I'd snuck out that night, but honestly, any punishments she could possibly give me didn't frighten me at all. I was made uneasy at not being able to see Cloaked Boy again. It hurt more than I would admit even as I was teething with anger.

My life seemed to return to somewhat normal within the next week or so that followed. After my punishment was lifted in a few more days, I refused to go wait for him at the market as I would do usually. I guess in a way, I was a liar as well?

I hadn't dwelled on what I'd said that night, however, as much as I'd dwelled on his words.

I began to fall back into the rhythm of this life of mine. I had nothing to look forward to each day and I think that's what I missed the most about seeing Cloaked Boy. Even though I was upset, my thoughts would always revolve around him, day and night. I tried my best to forget about him and about our kiss, but I couldn't let it go. I had to see him at least once before I could even begin to feel any satisfaction to move forward.

I swallowed at my pride and decided to try at least once more to wait for Cloaked Boy. Once again, I stood at the usual spot looking unhappier than I ever had at waiting for him. I missed the feeling of being happy to see him, but now, I felt far from happy.

And again, I felt like a fool when I noticed how the sun was beginning to set and still there wasn't any sign of Cloaked Boy. I'd been played for a fool, yet again. I felt shame, and at feeling my eyes stinging, I felt stupid.

At last, I turned my back towards the market place and began making my way back to my house. My feelings were jumbled and I didn't know what to do anymore. The only thing I felt that I could do was forget him. Just forget he ever existed.

I knew it would be impossible, but going on like this would never benefit me in any way.

My heart stopped suddenly when I felt someone place their hand on my shoulder, out of the blue. My eyes stared down at the familiar looking tanned hand on my left shoulder. Stopping in my spot, I cautiously turned to look back at him.

It was quite funny. I had been raging on and on to myself since that other night. I wanted nothing more than to bite his head off soon as I saw him and call him all kinds of terrible names. But this felt different. When I saw him again, it was as if my memory of that anger had been wiped away. My bitter feelings washed over with a soothing happiness that I hadn't felt since he left. It was strange. I can't wrap my mind around how or why I felt that way. I can't even begin to describe it.

"…Cloaked Boy…?" I mumbled as I felt my lips tremble. I turned my head away suddenly to blink away at the tears behind my eyes.

He didn't say anything immediately. This moment must have been uncomfortable for him as well.

"…Demi…" he began gently and uneasily. "…I'm sorry…"

"…sorry for what?" I asked, swallowing away at the smile that had tugged at me. "…what is there to be sorry about?"

"…For having confused you the other night…I didn't mean to…"

Any urge to smile died off rather swiftly. "Are you saying you made a mistake? Do you regret it?"

From the corner of my eye, I could see Cloaked Boy shaking his head. I didn't even bother looking at him directly. I didn't want to risk falling into his trap again. "That's not what I meant…" he replied.

"Then what are you trying to tell me? Why is there any need to explain it? That night it became clear to me. It isn't necessary to explain anything." My voice was quick and higher in pitch. I think I was getting agitated without even comprehending why exactly. My anger from the other night was just building.

Cloaked Boy remained silent but I still refused to look at him.

"…all I ever wanted was to know more about you." I continued. I swallowed at my anger to keep it in check. "When we first started talking…when I started caring about you, I believed that someday you would be able to be honest with me. I looked forward to being able to learn your name so I could feel closer to you. Whenever you would come to me looking sad, I couldn't do anything because you wouldn't tell me. I want to be able to know more about you so that I can find more ways to help you. You're more than just a face behind a veil to me…"

Cloaked Boy gasped lowly and I felt his eyes piercing through me but I refused to give him a glance. I took a deep breath as I collected my thoughts.

"…lately, I've noticed that you've been drifting away. I don't know what's wrong with you, I don't know how to hold on to you, but I want to help you. I hate that I can't help you as much as I want, because all you do is keep me at arms distance. I've waited for along time. It didn't bother me to not know your name at first, but I don't know how much more I can take…"

I was spilling my feelings without even noticing it; otherwise I'd have stopped myself. I was in too deep already. "I've been accepting of you this whole time. I've put a lot of trust in you, and it just hurts that you can't return that same trust to me. I'm growing tired of having to accept things the way they are when they don't have to be."

I bowed my head and sighed. "How much longer do I have to wait? Tell me. Really, how important am I to you?"

Cloaked Boy couldn't do anything else. I don't think he could've said anything to calm me at that moment. I was at my limit. "I'm sorry…" Apologies were all he could give me.

I chuckled in my frustration and turned my back at him. "…do what you want. But leave me alone…" My voice trembled at the last sentence. I didn't want him away from me. All I wanted was to be with him and I even longed to wrap my arms around him so much at that moment. I couldn't comprehend…

But I didn't want to feel like this. My heart was so conflicting that it was almost beginning to drive me crazy.

"Demi!" he called my name.

"Forget about me!" I snapped, tossing my head back to look at him. Looking into his eyes hurt me so much, like a knife being impaled into my chest. "Just go back to wherever you came from and don't come back to me!"

I took off running back towards the house and I didn't look back even once. My tears began flowing uncontrollably as I ran as fast as I could. I could try to act as tough as I wanted, but the truth was I would miss him dearly, more than he could know.

I tried not to dwell on that thought as my sandaled feet tapped against the pavement. I just had to get away.


	6. A Call from Destiny

_Author's Note: _Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing! (: I'm really glad you guys like it! I've been working hard on making this fanfic the best possible so I hope you'll enjoy it! I'm a little stumped with the next chapter but I promise I'll try to have it done as soon as possible! Enjoy!

_Chapter 6: Call of Destiny_

A few weeks went on by since I'd gone off on Cloaked Boy and I was wallowing in pity and guilt.

Regardless of the frustration that I'd felt towards him, I tested my luck on that day in two weeks. As usual, I actually waited for him to show up in the market. I hurried and bought what I needed and waited for him in that same spot, shaded by the tent of the nearby vendor.

Despite what I'd said to him, about him never coming to see me again, I still wanted to talk to him. The flames of anger inside me seemed to have died down slowly once I revealed my feelings. Now, I was feeling a different kind of turmoil. I was curious to know what he felt, despite my command for him to never seek me again. I just wanted to talk him in hopes that he would be able to clear my worries.

I don't know how long I stood there. It must've been at least three hours before I realized he probably wasn't going to show up. Still, I foolishly continued standing in that same spot until the sun was starting to settle down in the sky.

'I wonder if he's mad at me,' I thought, my lips pouting. 'I know I must've said too much but…'

I took a deep breath and figured I should just continue on my way. I walked back home as I tried to swallow away the wave of disappointment that I felt. I plopped myself down on my cot and looked out my window. Where could he be?

Unfortunately, Cloaked Boy disappeared since that day. I didn't see from him or hear of him again. Even so, I must've attempted to wait for him at least two more times before I realized he was probably never going to come to see me again. At that realization, I was more upset than I thought I'd be. I had committed to forgetting about him before, but I realized I couldn't. I didn't want to forget about him.

My trips to the market weren't fun anymore. Enough so to the point where I didn't even go to the market again, as much as my mother asked me to. I think she just assumed I was getting tired of running her errands, as my other sisters had. I don't think she really knew what was bothering me, and she didn't bother asking, even as I became shut in my room.

Who was Cloaked Boy to me, anyway? Why did the thought of never seeing him again hurt me so much?

I couldn't understand that. Or rather, I understood it, but I didn't want to face the facts head on again. Cloaked Boy was a friend of mine, a very dear friend of mine. As the days went by, it became more apparent to me that my desire to always be with him was indisputable. I wanted to be with him all the time, to learn more about him, and to relish in my hopes to one day be able to see him uncloaked. That's what I wanted from day one and those feelings hadn't disappeared along with Cloaked Boy.

It'd already been almost a year since I'd met with him again, and even in that short time, I felt closer to him than I felt with anyone before. We were so much alike, even though it seemed we were from distant worlds. He'd shown me the world on the outside, a place that I'd dreamed of going but never had the courage to go on my own. Now that he was gone, I didn't know what to do. I knew it would be a long time before I could even begin to forget him and to get over this, if ever.

I didn't pay much attention to the world around me. I didn't find it in me to care.

But Egypt had more important things to care about anyway. Our current Pharaoh had just recently passed away and the whole country was in mourning. Although that didn't matter much to me, to be completely honest. It's not as if I knew him myself.

Instead, I remained shut within my room, feeling like I wasn't myself anymore.

…

A few days had passed since Egypt had learned of the Pharaoh's passing. On one quiet morning, I was sitting alone in my room staring out the window when my sisters all came barging in.

"Hello, Demi!" Samira greeted me. "We're going out towards the palace today."

Furrowing my eyebrows, I looked up at her curiously. "The palace? What for?"

"Haven't you heard?" Kilah explained. "Today the new Pharaoh is going to be crowned. It's a historic event so we want to be there to see it ourselves. He's going to greet the people."

My face didn't express any kind of excitement at the news. I was actually more surprised that my sisters cared enough about this. They never seemed much into politics or the Pharaoh before although we always wished we were royalty when we were young girls.

"…I see…" I sighed and returned my gaze to look out the window.

"…hey, what's wrong?" Samira asked, coming closer. "You don't look like yourself. You weren't like this when I last saw you."

I shook my head and threw myself back onto my cot. "…I'm just really tired lately. That's all."

Samira and Kilah exchanged a glance and both lunged at me and pulled me out of bed.

"Hey?! What are you doing?" I demanded, fidgeting in their grips.

"You're coming with us!" Samira explained. "We don't know what's wrong with you, but certainly the happy energy from the crowd is just what you need to cheer you up!"

Any hopes of cheering up diminished the moment Nenet walked in. "What's taking so long?" she asked before she saw me. "What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing's wrong with me!" I barked and pulled myself out of the iron grips. "I don't really feel up to doing anything…"

Nenet didn't look interested in hearing my problems. She waved her hand indifferently. "Bleh, then just leave her…we're not going to be late to this just because Demi's being a pain in the neck."

I threw a fiery glare in her direction. "Oh, fine I'm going! But only because I know it'll annoy Nenet."

"That's the spirit!" Samira cheered and we exited the house, with Nenet protesting the whole time, of course.

When we reached the market, it was nearly empty. It seemed everyone was looking forward to getting a look at our new king. The old Pharaoh didn't really show his face much around here but he did seem like he was doing his best to run the country smoothly. It seemed to me like everyone had a genuine respect for him, no matter what their social status might be.

As we approached the palace, the crowd was already enormous. We didn't even know exactly when the new Pharaoh was going to step out onto his balcony and greet us from above. We stood there, with the sea of bodies and under the blazing hot sun, just to see him. I was starting to regret my decision to come. I'm not necessarily a fan of huge crowds or being squished onto the sweaty stranger in front of me.

"Wow, there's a bigger turn out than I thought there would be," Nenet said in awe as even more people began showing up. The crowd was already cheering and anticipating the arrival of the Pharaoh. I was busier trying to avoid getting pushed around in this mass.

I thought I'd gone near deaf when the crowd roared and everyone thrust their fists into the air.

"There he is!" Samira announced excitedly. "He's coming out!"

Any other voices were drowned in the midst of the loud cheers. I couldn't even make out what the new Pharaoh was saying. I didn't even get his name or even a good look at him. With the tall man in front of me, with his fists in the air, I couldn't see anything. I resorted to jumping around like a crazy person but that didn't help much. Nenet pulled me down while I was midair when she noticed me.

"Stop jumping around!" she commanded. "The Pharaoh will notice you and you'll shame our family!" I glared at her. How ridiculous!

"I can't see anything!" I huffed. I turned my head as the cheers of the crowd became louder. I did get to see the Pharaoh, all right. Only, all I caught a glimpse of was the back of his head as he returned into the palace. My shoulders fell with disappointment. Honestly, I was curious and looking forward to seeing what he looked like. I don't even know what the previous Pharaoh looked like.

The crowd began dispersing until I was standing there all alone with my sisters.

"Well, that was fun," Samira said cheerfully. I looked to the ground, just wanting to back home and shut myself in my room again.

"Not for me," I mumbled and we began heading towards the house. "…I didn't get to see or hear anything…"

"I'm sure he'll come out again someday," Kilah said. "He doesn't seem as private as the other Pharaoh was."

I didn't care about that anyway. I guess it was nice to come out and do something with my sisters. It'd been a few years since we'd gone out like this. Afterwards, we all headed off on our own ways and once again disappeared into my room to sulk.

…

"Demi! Demi? Wake up!"

I was sound asleep one morning, just a few days later, when my mother had unexpectedly barged into my room and shook me awake. This was definitely unusual.

"Ugh," I mumbled as I stirred, sitting up and blinking up at her. "…what is it, Mama?" The look of worry strewn on her face startled me enough to wake me. "What happened?"

"Come with me," she said as she pulled my hand and dragged me out of bed. She led me to the front door where two palace guards were standing. I was petrified.

"Are you Demi?" one of them asked.

Completely confused, I hesitantly responded. "…Yes, I am."

"Please come with us," the other guard said. "The Pharaoh is requesting your presence at once."

My jaw nearly dropped and I looked at my mother. She was just as lost in this as I was. "Is there something wrong? Did I do something wrong?"

"The Pharaoh hasn't disclosed that with us," the guard said. "All we know is he is requesting you to come with us to the palace at once. You'd better not keep the Pharaoh waiting."

I bit my quivering bottom lip and looked at my mother. I didn't know what was going on and the look of worry on her face broke my heart. "I swear I didn't do anything, Mama…" I begged. "But I'll go…maybe this is a misunderstanding…"

Mama nodded at me. "I know…I know. Please take care of her…" she asked the guards. The guards silently lead me on, where I was mounted on to a horse and we rode off towards the palace.

…

The ride to the palace was silent and awkward. I was so frightened and confused that I didn't know what to say. Two scary looking guards showing up to my house out of the blue…what was going on? I never did anything wrong. I was sure of it.

My nervousness momentarily disappeared as soon as we made it into the palace. The palace always looked huge from the outside, but the sheer size of it on the inside was amazing. I was too busy gawking to realize that the guards were asking me to dismount the horse. Gracelessly and almost falling flat on my bottom, I managed to shakily get off the horse on my own. I was so used to having Cloaked Boy help me off like a gentleman, unlike these two jerks.

"Hey!" I heard a voice calling. "Thanks for bringing her!" A girl about my age with dark brown hair and a short off white dress ran over to us. "I can take over from here. This poor girl looks completely petrified!"

The guards bowed towards her and immediately left. I stared at her silently, not knowing what to say or who she was.

"Hi!" she greeted me cheerfully. "You must be Demi!"

I slowly nodded my head.

"Great, it's nice to meet you!" she smiled. "Don't be so afraid! You're safe here. My name is Mana, by the way."

I felt a little more at ease, but that didn't answer my question. "So why am I here?"

"The Pharaoh wanted to see you," she replied. Well, I knew that already. "I don't know why exactly, but I think he may have spotted you the other day while he was greeting the people."

I didn't know how to respond to that. I was surprised as I would've never thought he'd notice me in such a large crowd. Maybe the fact that I was the only person jumping around caught his attention? I must've looked like such a fool!

"But you're not in trouble or anything," Mana explained, having noticed my sour expression. "But come on! The Pharaoh doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Thankfully, Mana led me into this maze of a palace. The ceilings were up high and even the halls were wide and roomy. I had never seen anything like this before. Not many everyday citizens can say they've entered the palace. The inside was very fancy and well kept with paintings on the walls, fancy red rugs, and even flowers all around.

"Here we are!" Mana announced as she led me down to a hall at the end of the palace. She pointed down the corridor and turned to me with a bright smile. "Keep going that way and you'll reach the garden. The Pharaoh is there and he's waiting for you."

Sensing my nervousness, Mana came up behind me and gave me a gentle push.

"Don't be so worried," she said as she grasped onto my shoulders. "You don't have anything to be afraid of at all, Demi. I've known the Pharaoh since we were children. It might be a little overwhelming to meet someone so powerful, but he's as sweet as can be! I'm sure you'll like him right away."

I smiled back at her and nodded my head. "Thank you. I do feel better now."

"Great!" she said and pushed me again. "Now hurry before he gets impatient!"

With a deep breath, I took my steps down the long corridor. My steps were nervous and shaky. I almost felt as if I were going to fall over at any second. I really didn't know what to expect or why necessarily the Pharaoh wanted to see me. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined this.

I felt the warm breeze wafting from the doorways that lead to the lush garden. I'd never seen so much vegetation at once in my life. There was so much bright green; a complete contrast to the dull colored roads of dirt and sand in town. My fists tightened as I passed a nearby mirror that hung on a wall and tossed a glance at my reflection. It was at that moment that I caught sight of what I looked like.

"UGH!" I mumbled, reminding myself to keep my voice down halfway through my grunt.

Looking as horrible as I did gave me another reason to feel like I wanted to run away. I was abruptly taken from my house, literally having rolled out of bed, because the situation seemed so urgent. My sleeping clothes, though presentable enough to be shown in public, weren't necessarily the nicest clothing in my collection. There were wrinkles all over my bottom and my shirt. And my hair. The worse bed hair you could imagine.

In a panic, I attempted to pat down my stray strands of hair and retie the band that kept my dark hair up in a ponytail. Finding that I at least looked somewhat acceptable, I took a deep breath and carried on. I carefully wandered into the garden, still patting away at the top of my head softly to keep my hair in place.

'What awful luck!' I mumbled internally. 'I look terrible on the day I get to meet the Pharaoh…he's going to send me scurrying back home…'

At last, my eyes lifted to look ahead and I caught sight of someone standing near the large, marble fountain in the center of the garden with his back towards me. I walked a little closer but stopped a long distance from him when I realized who it was. My heart momentarily stopped beating and I almost forgot how to breathe. I couldn't even find a way to form a word, much less a sentence, so I all I could do was stand there and stare at the back of his head.

I didn't have to say a word, though. After a few minutes, he must've sensed my presence. He slowly turned around to look at me and I caught the first clear glimpse of his face.

Honestly, I was surprised at how young he was. He didn't look as if he were much older than I was. Not only that, I immediately blushed at noticing how enticingly handsome he was. I'd never seen a man quite like this: so poised and elegant. His hair was unlike anything I'd ever seen: a mix of spiked black and magenta hair, with golden blond bangs that framed his handsome face smoothly.

His eyes were a deep and gentle, yet mysterious purple. My heart stopped at realizing how much those eyes reminded me of Cloaked Boy. My heart stung a little.

Much to my surprise, he smiled warmly at me and I almost felt like I could melt right there in front of him. It took all my strength to retain my composure. There was something about his smile in combination with those eyes. I don't know what it was, but his smile sent shivers down by spine as if striking me with lightening.

It was at that moment I remembered my place. What a fool I am!

"Ugh! I'm sorry!" I apologized and began bowing on the ground frantically and ungracefully. "Forgive me for gawking! It's such an honor to meet you, Pharaoh."

He chuckled, and I could've sworn it sounded familiar to me. "That's not necessary," he spoke and approached me. Taking my trembling hands into his, he helped me onto my feet. Our eyes locked together once again and I was almost starting to feel light headed as I felt myself getting lost in them. Why was this starting to feel familiar to me?

I could seem myself reflected off of his eyes, their deep purple making me feel at ease despite this crazy and unexpected situation.

"…Do you remember me?" he suddenly asked. I couldn't find it in me to speak anymore. I didn't know what to say. He must've been amused at my expression but he grinned nervously. "…I remember you. It hasn't been that long since we last saw each other. I am happy that I can at last show you my entire face."

"…your face?"

Our eyes remained locked together for the longest moment. I had made the comparison soon as I glanced into his eyes, unique and deep and as soothing as they were, but I assumed I was only thinking of crazy things. I couldn't wrap my mind around it, even now as the truth stared me in the face.

Then it struck me. It was a crazy idea but it was the only thing I could think of.

"…No…no way…" I barely spoke up. "…it can't be…"

He nodded slowly at me, letting the realization sink in before speaking.

"…C-cloaked boy?"

He laughed lowly at the nickname and nodded his head. "There's no need to call me that anymore."

I wiped my face with my hands. "…I think I need to sit down for this…"

The Pharaoh led me to the edge of the fountain and I sat. He took a deep breath and sat beside me. "I know it's hard to believe, but it's me. You still don't believe me?"

I believed him, all right. But I just couldn't grasp the concept. What were the odds of me running into the hidden prince back then? Or ever?

"…thanks to you I have a fondness of peaches I never had before," he said with a soft laugh. "I can't seem to sit still when I go to the oasis on my own anymore, either."

I couldn't keep the smile away from my lips and I wasn't even thinking straight when I wrapped my arms around him. A sudden sense of relief and joy washed over me and I wasn't thinking properly. The Pharaoh was startled so much that the both of us almost flew back into the water of the fountain.

"Demi?" he asked nervously. I looked up at him, feeling a deep blush crossing my face when I saw his handsome face so closely and my eyes fell to the ground.

"…I probably shouldn't be hugging you like this," I murmured as I pulled back. "You're the Pharaoh after all. But I was just worried…I thought I wouldn't get to see you again, Cloaked Boy…eh, Pharaoh."

I placed my hands on my lap and looked up into the sky. "…I just wanted to say I'm sorry about what I said. And I'm sorry about your father as well…"

"…don't worry about any of that…" he said softly. "I am doing just fine. Also, about what you told me…you were right and I can understand that you were becoming frustrated."

I sighed and looked at him.

"I am more surprised that you stood by me for so long, even when I refused to tell you anything about myself," he said as he looked at me. "I am not sure myself that I would be able to trust anyone like this. I apologize for not being able to be truthful, but if I'd shown you my face or revealed my identity, I'm certain it would've ended badly."

"…you don't have to apologize," I insisted and smiled at him. "…I'm just glad I can see you again, Cloaked Boy. And I'm actually getting to see you as you are, like I've always wanted."

His tanned cheeks were dyed red like mine and he looked away shyly. "…thank you."

My smile widened as I looked to him. "I waited for you and you never showed up. But I always believed I'd find you again someday, even as I refused to leave the house again."

"I'm sorry for worrying you…" he said softly. "But now that I'm Pharaoh, I can do much more than I could when I was just the Prince. Finding you again was the first thing I thought to do, because…I want to tell you my name."

My face brightened. I'd longed for this moment since the day we met, more than I could understand.

"I am not Cloaked Boy anymore…I am not hiding anymore. So please call me Atem."

My heart fluttered and I smiled brighter than I ever had. "That's great! Thank you for finally telling me your name. Atem…Pharaoh Atem…"

Atem chuckled. "Just Atem will do…we're friends after all, aren't we? There isn't any need for formalities."

I chuckled in disbelief. I really couldn't believe my luck. Really, what were the odds? I was never one to believe in destiny or fate, but what else could it have been?

"Can I come in?!" we heard a voice suddenly echo in the garden. Atem laughed and nodded his head.

"Yes you may," he answered.

Mana skipped over and stood in front of us with a bright smile. "I'm glad to see it worked out. I'm so glad I finally get to meet you as well, Demi. Atem has told me a lot about you!"

My eyes widened and I stood up. "Really?"

"Oh yes! He always said you are-UMPH!" Mana was cut off when Atem suddenly grasped onto her mouth, stifling her. It reminded me of when Atem had done that to me when we first met.

"…that I'm what?" I asked curiously.

"A good friend!" Atem said nervously. "And a nice person…"

I eyed him strangely but shrugged. "Thank you. I think you are, too, Atem."

Mana pulled herself away from Atem. "Sorry!" she laughed. "Did I say too much again?"

"No…forgive me," he apologized before turning to me. "Demi, I have one more friend to introduce you to."

As if on cue, a tall and dark young man, who appeared at least a few years older than Atem and I, walked into the garden and stood behind Mana. He greeted me with a smile and I waved my hand shyly. "Hello," I murmured.

"This is Mahad," Atem introduced. "Honestly, Mana and Mahad were my greatest help in being able to venture outside of the palace, even if it meant putting their positions on the line. I really couldn't thank them enough."

"Then I must offer them my gratitude as well," I said brightly and nodded towards both of them. "Thank you very much. It is because of you that Atem and I were able to meet."

"I'd do anything to help the Pharaoh," Mana said brightly. "I'm glad he found himself a nice girl like you."

Atem and I blushed simultaneously.

"I feel the same," Mahad agreed with a smile towards the both of us before changing the subject. "Unfortunately, my Pharaoh, you are due for a meeting in a short while. It is very important."

Atem looked at me with a gaze of disappointment but quickly exchanged it for a warm smile. "I apologize but I must go now. You are welcome to come visit me whenever you please, Demi, so I hope I can see you often."

I felt myself not wanting to say 'goodbye' to him just yet, but I wouldn't have wanted to keep him away from his duties as king. Hiding my look of disappointment, I smiled at him. After all, he just offered me an invitation to come down to the palace as I wanted. I would get to see him everyday, if I so pleased.

"Of course!" I replied cheerfully. "Thank you, Atem. I hope everything goes well for you."

I felt my heart almost sink at seeing him walk away from me, blue cape blowing in the breeze, and he disappeared with Mahad into the palace. He didn't leave, however, without giving me one final, warm glance and I felt my heart flutter once again.

Mana seemed to notice that I was dazing off and waved a hand in front of my face. "Hey!" she said as I looked at her. "How are you feeling?"

"…I don't even know…" I laughed. "But it feels oddly like happiness…"

Mana giggled and nodded in agreement. "I'm glad for that. I'll be looking forward to seeing you around the palace. But before you head off, maybe a little tour of the palace will help you."

"I would appreciate that," I said as Mana began leading me back into the palace.

So it came to be that I was giving a glance at this massive place. I was told of the places I could roam freely on my own, the places I would need permission, and the places that were forbidden from me.

I didn't get to see Atem again that day. I'm assuming the meeting took all day or he was simply too busy taking care of his other duties. I wasn't bothered by that at all, however, as I was too happy that he even reached out to me. Mama would have a hard time believing this, especially seeing as how she was against my friendship with Cloaked Boy in the first place. As it turns out, Cloaked Boy was simply the young Prince and current Pharaoh in disguise.

I silently thanked the gods for such wonderful luck as I lay myself to sleep on my cot in my dingy bedroom. What a day. I hoped that come tomorrow, it would be all right for me to head back towards the palace to see Cloaked—eh—Atem. I looked forward to it, my heart pattering wildly even as I drifted off to sleep.


End file.
